Kunihiko Takeda

Professor Takeda of Chubu University has an unusual, short post on his blog for September 5. It’s titled “A Girl Doesn’t Talk…” and the following is my unauthorized, quick translation:

A girl doesn’t talk…

She doesn’t talk. With her clear eyes she looks at everything her mother does. At her side, a boy with bright eyes is excited with the train just passing by.

A middle-aged man shouts. Why can’t I sell contaminated vegetables? I took great pains growing them. What about our livelihood?

The girl doesn’t talk. She quietly eats her school lunch as it is served. Even if the vegetables are contaminated, she takes in the radioactive materials because she trusts adults.

The angry middle-aged man, with the help of the governor and the board of education, shipped the contaminated vegetables that were sold as foodstuff for the school lunches, and he made the living. The government and TEPCO pretended they didn’t know, and the media was afraid to report.

The girl who didn’t talk is now sick in bed. Who could have saved this girl who didn’t talk?